Current Non-Genre Reading III

[Raf]

Finished the recent historical adventure from Colin Falconer, Ends of the Earth and I quite enjoyed it; like with the other adventure books of the author (read a few and enjoyed them mostly to an extent or another), a bit of over-the-top stuff, villains with hats naming them such, heroes and heroines that are heroic and way too modern attitudes on occasion stop it from being on par with the top historical fiction around, but its turn the page energy, lively action and entertainment value makes it a good fast read which I definitely recommend.

Burb:
From the bestselling author of Silk Road comes a brand-new, sweeping action epic about the lost legion of Carrhae. Set against a sprawling canvas of Parthia, the Han dynasty, the Seven Seas of ancient Arab traders, and Rome in the last days of the Republic, this is historical adventure on a breathtaking scale. Roman Empire, 53 In the wake of catastrophic defeat at the battle of Carrhae, Roman tribune, Valerius, is taken prisoner at the far reaches of the Parthian Empire. It is the ends of the earth, and he vows to somehow find a way home. In Rome, Pompey and Caesar battle for absolute power in the last days of the Republic, and senators plot to take sides, as the city convulses into riot and civil war. No one is safe. Valerius soon realises that if he ever does find his way back, his problems will be far from over. Dark secrets will not stay buried. Politics and intrigue bend to no man. And standing between him and his wife is the man who abandoned him to die on the battlefield

I've looked at his stuff before. I started "Harem"...but lost interest about a quarter of the way in. Might try one of his others once I whittle down my current queue.

 

[suciul]

I've looked at his stuff before. I started "Harem"...but lost interest about a quarter of the way in. Might try one of his others once I whittle down my current queue.

It really depends on your historical interest - Cleopatra's book was good (When We Were Gods), the Cathar book (Stigmata) was also good, the Mongol one (Silk Road) went a bit too close to jumping the shark so to speak as did the Marocco one Lord of the Atlas but they still moved well; also started Death watch (Pacific War) and also A Vain Indecent woman (about the reign of Edward III and the Black prince) which i plan to finish at some point; all the books have some similarities (fast, villains are villains and heroes/heroines are heroes/heroines) but despite some modern attitudes, they do not have (at least the ones I tried) the gross inaccuracies (Brutus the same age of Caesar in a popular series of a popular author) that truly annoy me in historical fiction and once in a while when in the mood for a historical fiction book that rolls, Colin Falconer is not a bad choice

 

[blailock]

I finished Dark Sacred Night by Michael Connelly. This featured both Renee Ballard and Harry Bosch. I think Connelly struck gold by teaming these two up. It was a great story, and I can't wait to read the next one. Highly recommended.

 

[blailock]

I finished The Night Fire by Michael Connelly. This is another really good Harry Bosch/Renee Ballard story. It seems that I'm getting dangerously close to catching up on all of the Connelly novels. That makes me a little nervous. I guess I'll have to find another detective series to start. Highly Recommended.

 

[Raf]

Finally finished "Washington and Caesar" by Christian Cameron. Tis' the season, you know? Just been too busy to get much reading time in.

This is Cameron's earliest published fiction novel. Published in 2001. Extensively researched with a panoply of real historical figures worked into a piece of historical fiction. Set against the backdrop of the Revolutionary War in the states. Part of the story is taken from the viewpoint of Caesar, a former slave. Now a soldier fighting for Britain against the colonials. In an interesting juxtaposition of loyalties, I found myself rooting for Caesar in his fight against the colonials. Very well done.

Actually it is a set of parallel stories. Caesar was for a short time George Washington's slave. An Ashanti warrior enslaved in Africa and sent to the sugar cane plantations of Jamaica. Only to be sold off to a buyer destined for George Washington's plantation in Mount Vernon.

A young Caesar is given the responsibility of taking care of Washington's hunting dogs. For laughing when Washington takes a fall from his horse, Caesar is sold again and sent to the swamp drainage crews. To toil unto death. Ever proud and wanting to be free, Caesar and a select crew kill their overseer and flee into the swamp.

Dodging slave hunters for months finds them starving and on the run only to stumble into a regiment of British soldiers. Who feed them and ask them to join the fight as paid soldiers. The Caesar character was modeled after a Sergeant Thomas Peters. A real escaped slave who rose in rank in the British Army.

The other half of the story is the author's imagining of the rocky start to the continental army under the command of George Washington. A ragtag bunch of farmers and militia daring to come together and fight one of the greatest world powers at the time, Britain. As always with Cameron. the battle scenes are extremely well done. Muskets instead of spears in this case, but Cameron does it justice.

Really good story.

 

[Randy M.]

Reading Seasonal Work: Stories by Laura Lippman. Four stories in and so far I'd say it's simple, direct, unadorned prose put in the service of depicting fairly complex character motivations. I'm looking forward to trying one of her novels. If I recall rightly, my wife enjoyed Lady in the Lake.

 

[suciul]

Recently have been in the mood for entertaining fast reads, so read a few Edgar Wallace classics, (in my childhood 40+ years ago I really loved The Green Archer which was the only Edgar Wallace available under communism and I always wanted to read more) and went fast through The Lady of Ascott (loved it), The Daffodil Mystery (good but a bit over the top here and there) and The Secret House (same as Daffodil) - all could be described as short, fast books that keep one turning pages with the usual cast of characters, the smart and resourceful villain, generally his sidekicks or unintentional helpers, the even more resourceful policeman or detective, the ingenue girl caught into all, the older wiser woman that is also involved into all etc;

 

[blailock]

I finished Fair Warning by Connelly. This is a Jack McEvoy book. I believe it's the 3rd in the series. While Bosch is a detective/PI and Haller is a defense lawyer, McEvoy is a journalist. It's a pretty cool story, and I zoomed right through it. Recommended.

 

[pogopossum]

Came here to post again about The Long War series by Christian Cameron. Have now read the first four, with the last three (so far) on order.
Most anything that I could say would be secondary to that posted earlier by Raf and Suciul (and we are told earlier by D & S, although I don't go back that far).
Still, being verbose, here's what I wrote before going back to re-read their excellent posts.

Have now finished the first four books Killer of Men, Marathon, Poseidon's Spear, and The Great King. Three more to go. Salamis, Rage of Ares and Treason of Sparta.
The land battles between the Greeks and the Persians are better known and are certainly in the books, however the conflicts at sea between the Greeks and the Persians and their Phoenician subjects and allies (including Carthage) take up much of the books. As does piracy, slavery, interactions with many different peoples of that world and a host of descriptions of religion, social customs and vendettas.
The series follows Arimestos of Platea, a famous soldier, sailor and historical hero, through years of fighting and adventure. Every mention by Herodotus and other Greek historians is there, with descriptions of not only Arimestos but of, I suspect, about every person mentioned in contemporary and subsequent historians. Cameron does not stop with the historical record, but has his hero journey throughout the Mediterranean and lands abutting as far as passing through the Straits of Gibraltar to the eastern coast of Spain and to the tin islands (Britain).
Dense and well written. Not just history but as with most good fiction, descriptions that rely on character development.
The author is a reenactor so those descriptions of warfare are as accurate as possible actually to the point of being somewhat obtrusive. In afterwards he gives credit to his sources. If you have any interest in this stuff it is certainly worth reading.

Addendum. Just saw mention of a book describing conflict in the same arena, but about 2,000 years later, between the Ottomans and the Hapsburgs and their allies. Looks interesting and will order it. From the library, of course.
Empires of the Sea: The Final Battle for the Mediterranean, 1521-1580 by Roger Crowley.

 

[blailock]

I finished Rules of Prey by Sandford. This is the first of the Lucas Davenport novels. Since I'm close to catching up on Michael Connelly novels, I thought I would start a new detective series. I had been gifted a few random Sandford novels, so this seemed like a good place to start.
I was torn on this one. I liked the story, but it seemed kind of dated. I'll continue for now, but this series is still up in the air for me.

 

[Raf]

Finished the final book of John Drake's Londinium series. "Gods in Londinium". Probably the weakest story of the trilogy. I was surprised how quickly the author wrapped up the last few pages. It just felt rushed and somewhat less satisfying.

Still, the trilogy is a good read overall. Ending of the final book issues not withstanding. In this story , the death of a renowned Charioteer sends Ikarus and Morganus chasing the origins of a new Celtic religion that threatens Roman and Druidic interests alike. Both factions being fairly happy with the status quo as long as neither get too powerful.

 

[Windshadow]

Fascinating if a bit dense and reading a bit like a masters thesis

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002FQOHTW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_d_asin_title_o09?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Windshadow]

And this one is just a rip-snorting tale of a sort of uber larrikin it is a fun read about a part of the history of OZ that was new to me.
This is the publishers blurb:

The greatest escape story of Australian colonial history by the son of Australia’s best-loved storyteller​

In 1823, cockney sailor and chancer James Porter was convicted of stealing a stack of beaver furs and transported halfway around the world to Van Diemen's Land. After several escape attempts from the notorious penal colony, Porter, who told authorities he was a 'beer-machine maker', was sent to Macquarie Harbour, known in Van Diemen's Land as hell on earth.

Many had tried to escape Macquarie Harbour; few had succeeded. But when Governor George Arthur announced that the place would be closed and its prisoners moved to the new penal station of Port Arthur, Porter, along with a motley crew of other prisoners, pulled off an audacious escape. Wresting control of the ship they'd been building to transport them to their fresh hell, the escapees instead sailed all the way to Chile. What happened next is stranger than fiction, a fitting outcome for this true-life picaresque tale.

The Ship That Never Was is the entertaining and rollicking story of what is surely the greatest escape in Australian colonial history. James Porter, whose memoirs were the inspiration for Marcus Clarke's For the Term of his Natural Life, is an original Australian larrikin whose ingenuity, gift of the gab and refusal to buckle under authority make him an irresistible anti-hero who deserves a place in our history.

https://www.amazon.com/Ship-That-Never-Was-Australian-ebook/dp/B077V4TMNS/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

 

[blailock]

I finished The Law of Innocence by Michael Connelly. This is a Mickey Haller book. Bosch makes a few appearances here, but the story is about Haller. This wasn't my favorite, but I still enjoyed reading it over the holidays.

 

[Westy]

I finished a re-read of Shogun. It’s a huge book at around 1,300 pages – started it early Dec and paused about 500 in, and read the rest in the last couple of weeks.

It has some big positives – the juxtaposition of two very different cultures in 16th century Japan and England, the realistic way the author presents Japanese life, the way an English “barbarian” can gradually become a respected member of such a different group of people – to name a few.

The main (and probably only) negative – the size of the book. One could argue some passages could be trimmed back, but on the other hand the immersive detail is what makes it what it is. An impressive book overall. Will be re-reading another in the Asian Saga series soon, probably Tai -Pan (which is next chronologically).

And I didn’t realise there’s another TV series of Shogun coming out next month, so that’s good timing!

 

[Westy]

I read Judgement Prey by John Sandford, a crime thriller from his "Prey" series of books. It was a great read - well paced with never a dull moment, and some humorous banter between the two main detectives. There's 34 books in the series so plenty more reading when I want it!

 

[blailock]

I finished The Dark Hours by Connelly. This is another Ballard/Bosch novel, and maybe the best one yet. Highly Recommended.

 

[Westy]

I finished Rules of Prey by Sandford. This is the first of the Lucas Davenport novels. Since I'm close to catching up on Michael Connelly novels, I thought I would start a new detective series. I had been gifted a few random Sandford novels, so this seemed like a good place to start.
I was torn on this one. I liked the story, but it seemed kind of dated. I'll continue for now, but this series is still up in the air for me.

Just saw this now - I have heard that they get better as they go along (I just dived right into #33 and it didn't really hurt that I missed some backstory of the characters).

 

[blailock]

Just saw this now - I have heard that they get better as they go along (I just dived right into #33 and it didn't really hurt that I missed some backstory of the characters).

I have heard the same, Westy. I'm definitely going to keep going with this. My OCDness would never allow me to just jump in the middle of a series, although I'm sure it would be fine on something liked this. Haha. Thanks!

 

[Westy]

My OCDness would never allow me to just jump in the middle of a series, although I'm sure it would be fine on something liked this.

I normally wouldn't either, but my Dad recommended it so I just gave it a whirl on a whim.